Strongsville council approves $7.55 million note, NOPEC grant and energy-performance agreement for building upgrades

Strongsville City Council voted March 17 to accept a Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) grant of $111,669 and to authorize up to $7,550,000 in notes to fund HVAC, lighting and control upgrades at city facilities, and approved an energy performance agreement to begin the work.

Council member Kaminski introduced the NOPEC grant item, saying, "The recommendation this evening is suspension and adoption, and that request is for $111,669." Finance staff and council members described the broader financing plan as a single package that combines the grant, a note to raise short-term funds and a performance agreement with a contractor to install equipment and capture savings.

Finance department representative Dean told the council the bulk of the $7,550,000 note is for the recreation center: "The total of 7.5, actually, $6,200,000 of that is the rec center. That includes the Dectron unit, the HVAC air handling, the boilers." Dean said the recreation center is about 27–28 years old and noted the building’s insured value at $44,500,000. He said the work also addresses needs at the police station,…